Does the Parable of the Sower Teach That a Person Has Only One Chance to Believe?

Summary

Podcast Summary: Grace in Focus

Episode Title: Does the Parable of the Sower Teach That a Person Has Only One Chance to Believe?
Host(s): Bob Wilkin with Ken Yates
Date: September 16, 2025
Duration: 13 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the question: “Does the Parable of the Sower, as recounted in Matthew 13:3–9, teach that an unbeliever only has a single opportunity to believe?” Bob Wilkin and guest Ken Yates delve into the biblical text, examine common Free Grace misunderstandings, share personal testimonies, and offer scriptural encouragement for persistent evangelism and openness to the gospel message.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Restating the Listener’s Question ([01:02–02:22])

• Listener "Dave" asks: Is the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 saying an unbeliever has only one chance? Does the snatching away of the seed (by birds/Satan) mean no further opportunity to believe after initial rejection?

2. Context of the Sower’s Identity ([02:22–04:06])

• Ken Yates explains: In Matthew 13, Jesus is pictured as the sower, but this role is not exclusive to Him.
  • “Is Lord saying that only he sows? And the answer is obviously not…is he then saying…if they rejected…they had no other opportunities? I don’t think there’s any indication there.” ([02:40])
• Romans 10 is cited (“How blessed are the feet of those who bring good news”), confirming that believers continue to sow the word after Christ.

3. Multiple Opportunities in Scripture ([04:06–05:02])

• Examples from Acts: Even people who initially rejected Jesus later came to faith.
  • Bob: “We know that some of the priests came to faith. Well, did they believe when they heard during [Jesus’s] earthly ministry?” ([04:06])
  • Acts 2:37: The crowd who crucified Jesus later responded to Peter’s preaching.

4. Personal Testimonies Against the ‘One Chance’ View ([05:08–08:47])

• Ken Yates shares: Having been in a cult that actually taught the “one chance” doctrine.
  • His friend “Mr. H.” thought he had narrowly received a “second chance”.
  • Ken: “Most of us only have one opportunity. But he said, I was lucky. God gave me a second.” ([06:06])
• Ken’s own conversion story: Multiple exposures to the gospel before belief.
  • “I rejected it the first four times…finally, on the fifth time…and on the 50th time he quoted Ephesians 2:8-9, I believed.” ([08:27])

5. Biblical Support for Ongoing Opportunity to Believe ([08:47–09:39])

• Citing Acts 17:11, Bereans searched the Scriptures repeatedly before believing.
  • “It’s appropriate to search the scriptures…Didn’t Jesus say in Matthew 7:7–11, ask, seek and knock?” ([08:55–09:05])
• God is described as rewarding those who diligently seek Him.

6. Does Repeated Rejection Harden the Heart? ([09:39–11:09])

• Ken notes a related concern: Does repeated rejection make belief harder?
  • Ken: “If instead…[I say], ‘no, this is hooey…’ I think my heart gets just a little bit harder each time.” ([10:07])
• John 5:39–48: Jesus rebukes those “not willing to come” for life.

7. Recommended Response to Objectors ([11:09–11:47])

• Encourage seekers or skeptics to pray and read Scripture with an open heart.
  • Ken: “Are you willing to pray about it and say, ‘Lord, show me if I might be wrong’? …then guess what? We’re finding somebody who will come to faith eventually.” ([11:09–11:47])

8. Final Answer & Encouragement ([11:47–12:56])

• Clear, concise answer to the episode’s main question:
  • Bob: “Does the parable…say that the unbeliever only has one opportunity…? The answer is no, no, we can’t press this.” ([11:47])
  • Ken and Bob reflect that farming (and sowing the gospel) frequently involves repeated effort:
    • “The sower’s going to be back sowing again.” ([12:06])
  • Takeaway: There are always more opportunities—“A believer can hear the good news more than once.” ([12:33])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ken Yates on the myth of a “one chance” gospel:
  “Most of us only have one opportunity. But he said, I was lucky. God gave me a second.” ([06:06])
• Bob Wilkin on repeated gospel presentation:
  “The sower’s going to be back sowing again. I mean, if we’re going to press…” ([12:06])
• Ken Yates's personal conversion:
  “…on the 50th time he quoted Ephesians 2, 8, nine. I believed.” ([08:27])
• Encouragement for seekers:
  “Are you willing to read the Gospel of John and just ask the Lord, could it really be as simple as just believing in Jesus and I have everlasting life that can never be lost?” ([11:09])

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Important Timestamps & Segment Guide

• 01:02–02:22 — Listener’s question introduced
• 02:22–04:06 — Discussing the sower’s identity and implications
• 04:06–05:02 — Scriptural precedent for multiple opportunities to believe
• 05:08–08:47 — Testimonies about coming to faith through repeated exposure
• 08:47–09:39 — The role of seeking, asking, and repeated hearing
• 09:39–11:09 — The potential hardening of the heart through rejection
• 11:09–11:47 — Practical exhortation for open minded faith-seeking
• 11:47–12:56 — Episode conclusion and definitive answer

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Conclusion

The Parable of the Sower does not teach that unbelievers have only one chance to believe. The hosts assert—backed by scripture, examples from Acts, and personal experiences—that evangelism and gospel receptivity are ongoing. While hearts can become hardened through repeated rejection, God honors those who persistently seek truth, and the “sower” returns again and again.
Key Message: “A believer can hear the good news more than once.” ([12:33])

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For more on this topic, visit faithalone.org.

Transcript

[Announcer]

The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society. In the parable of the sower, we notice that the seed is sown and then it gets snatched away. So does this teach that a person has only one chance to be saved once the seed is sown? Let's talk about this here on Grace and Focus. So glad that you are joining us today for this ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society. We have a website, faithalone.org and we'd love you to go there and find our magazine. It's a free subscription magazine. It's also called Grace in Focus. It comes out every other month, six times per year. Very well done. And yes, I did say free. It is free. You only have to pay the postage if you live outside of the 48 contiguous United States. That is the magazine Grace in Focus. Subscribe today. Find it at. Now with today's question and answer discussion, here's Bob Wilkin along with Ken Yates.

[Bob Wilkin]

We have a question from Dave. Bob. We've talked about the parable.

[Ken Yates]

Is his name Dave Bob?

[Bob Wilkin]

No, his name's just Dave.

[Ken Yates]

Dave.

[Bob Wilkin]

Oh, Dave Bob.

[Ken Yates]

Bob. Okay.

[Bob Wilkin]

And he has a question about the parable of the sower. And we've talked about that. But this is a particular question and I don't think I've ever been asked this one. I've had a lot of questions about the parable, the four soils and all that.

[Ken Yates]

Yeah. Well, what is it?

[Bob Wilkin]

Well, the question is, according to Matthew, and he's using the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, 3, 9.

[Ken Yates]

Right.

[Bob Wilkin]

Does the unbeliever only have one chance to believe? Is this what this parable is talking? Because in the parable Jesus says a sower goes out to sow, and he says that some of the seed fell upon the pathway or the road, and the birds came and snatched it and took it away.

[Ken Yates]

Right.

[Bob Wilkin]

And of course, Luke says they don't believe.

[Ken Yates]

And in the interpretation, Luke says Luke 8:12, Satan snatches away the seed lest they should believe and be saved.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right. And so in the parable, you see, okay, the sower goes out and sows the word. It's a seed that falls upon the path and it's laying there, but then the birds come and take it away. So does this suggest that a person only has one chance to believe?

[Ken Yates]

Yeah. What's interesting, in Matthew 13, I think the sower is the Lord Jesus Christ. Because in all of these parables in Matthew 13, he seems to be the man you find later the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure, both are referring to Jesus. He's the one that finds the pearl of great price. And. And he's the one that buys it with his own life. He's the one that finds the hidden treasure and buys it with his own life. Even though lordship people use those parables to say, see, you've got to buy your own salvation. But I think he is the sower. But of course, there's many other sowers, because Remember in Romans 10 how blessed are the feet of those who bring good news, Right? And how shall they believe unless someone is sent? And how will they hear unless someone's sent? So the question in the parable of the sower is, is Lord saying that only he sows? And the answer is obviously not. Is he then saying, when you apply this beyond his own ministry? Right, because obviously he was sowing the seed and people were rejecting it. But is he saying if they rejected it the first time they heard the Lord Jesus talk about it, they had no other opportunities? I don't think there's any indication there. And he's certainly not saying that about the age of the church age. Like, for example, is there only one sower in the church age? No, there's lots of sowers. Let's say, for example, you evangelize your children, so you sow the seed. Well, if they don't believe initially, that doesn't mean you can't keep sowing. Right? You'll tell them again and again. And I've had Catherine on this show before, and she said she can't remember a time when she didn't believe.

[Bob Wilkin]

Even if you say, well, this is just the Lord, you know, he's the only one that's a sower. It's in Acts. We know that some of the priests came to faith. Well, did they believe when they heard during his earthly ministry, oh, that's a good example.

[Ken Yates]

Or take Acts 2:37. Peter preaches to them about Christ and he says, whom you killed?

[Bob Wilkin]

And they believe in verse 37.

[Ken Yates]

They believe in verse 37. They say, what shall we do? And that's when he says, repent and be baptized. And that this is for the forgiveness of sins and for receiving the Spirit. But they were already born again when they believed Jesus was the Messiah.

[Bob Wilkin]

But before they hadn't.

[Ken Yates]

Before they had heard the. Presumably most of them had heard Jesus proclaim the message of John 3:16, and they had rejected it.

[Bob Wilkin]

They thought that he deserved to die.

[Ken Yates]

They thought he was a false messiah.

[Bob Wilkin]

That's right. So they didn't believe before when they heard it. And then when they hear Peter preaching, I know this is two different ones, but it's Christ when they heard him and now they hear the message.

[Ken Yates]

You certainly had people saying, crucify him. Crucify him. Who later came to faith, right?

[Bob Wilkin]

Well, even I've heard you give your testimony. You had someone who presented the gospel to you, but you didn't believe the first time he said it, right?

[Ken Yates]

No. In fact, a friend. I had been in a cult, a sinless perfection cult that taught you had to basically keep turning from your sins over years. And believe it or not, this cult did teach. There was only one opportunity. We'll call him Mr. H. Mr. H, on his own testimony, said, When I was five, the Lord gave me the opportunity to be saved. I was at church and the call was to come forward, and I resisted. And he said I was very lucky. I got another chance. I think he was about 10 when he got a second chance. And he said, when I was 10, the Lord gave me another opportunity and I went forward and I was saved. And I haven't sinned since. That was his view.

[Bob Wilkin]

He hadn't sinned since.

[Ken Yates]

Oh, yeah. Because in his view, if you sinned after you were saved, you lost your salvation and could never regain it. Wow. But anyway, how blind do you have.

[Bob Wilkin]

To be to believe that?

[Ken Yates]

And he said, most of us only have one opportunity. But he said I was lucky. God gave me a second. In his view, you typically only had one opportunity, but you had to keep repenting and turning from your sins, et cetera. So I was in this group, and a friend of mine had been in the group with me, my best friend, John Carlson. And John came to Faith through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. And he went to Expo 72. He was challenged to make a list of people he wanted to evangelize. And he put me on the list.

[Announcer]

We will rejoin in just a moment. But years ago, Zane Hodges wrote the Gospel Under Siege. Sadly, this is still true and GES president Bob Wilkin has recently written its sequel. Bob's new book, the Gospel is Still Under Siege, is a book about theological clarity on the biblical teaching about eternal salvation. It is available now Secure yours today at the Grace Evangelical Society's bookstore. Find [e-mail] store. That's faithalone.org store. Now back to today's content.

[Ken Yates]

So he called me up in the beginning of September, before our senior year in college. His school was starting right then, University of Southern California, and mine was still a couple of weeks away. And he said, why don't you come to a college life meeting and hear what they have to say? And I said, no, no, I don't want to go. They're going to mislead me. And he said, bob, is it possible your view of the gospel is wrong? And I was like, wow, what if I give up everything and go serve in this cult my whole life and I end up. Well, I didn't think it was a cult, but go serve in this organization.

[Bob Wilkin]

Because you were still planning on serving in that organization.

[Ken Yates]

Oh yeah. When I graduated, if I do all that and I end up going to hell anyway. So I prayed about it and I said, lord, I'm going to go to this. Protect me. And at the meeting I heard three guys give their testimony, two of which had been Division 1 athletes. And all three talked about the grace of God. And it's by grace, through faith, apart from works. And I didn't believe it, but I.

[Bob Wilkin]

Was interested you heard the message of grace there.

[Ken Yates]

So then I ended up contacting Crusade and Warren Wilkie talked to me for five sessions, about an hour each time. And he kept harping on Ephesians 2, 8, 9. And I rejected it the first four times he told me.

[Bob Wilkin]

So it's a total of five times now that you've heard the message of grace.

[Ken Yates]

And finally on the fifth time, and he probably mentioned Ephesians 2, 8, 9, 10 times each of those five. So on the 50th time he quoted Ephesians 2, 8, nine. I believed it's not that the first time you hear you need to believe. Remember Acts 17:11, those in Berea were more noble minded.

[Bob Wilkin]

They searched the scripture to see if the things Paul was saying were true.

[Ken Yates]

About what? About everlasting life. Right. About Jesus.

[Bob Wilkin]

Sure.

[Ken Yates]

So it's appropriate to search the scriptures. It's appropriate to pray about. Didn't Jesus say in Matthew 7, 7, 11, ask, seek and knock.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right.

[Ken Yates]

And if we do that, we're going to find.

[Bob Wilkin]

And Even in Matthew 7, if he's talking to believers there, it's true for unbelievers as well. God rewards those who seek him. That's a general principle.

[Ken Yates]

Universal principle. Yeah.

[Bob Wilkin]

So if I'm an unbeliever and to go back to this parable, okay, so the seed is thrown out. Let's the word of God there for the unbeliever. It's eternal life. Okay. There's a seed that's being planted there. It's thrown out. I hear it at the first time. I hear it to use the Parable, the birds take it away. Okay, I don't believe yet, but then I hear it again, right? So the seed is cast out again.

[Ken Yates]

But now there is a related question to what Dave's asking. If I keep rejecting the word that's sown, does my heart get harder each time? I would say, based on lots of different scripture, that if instead of searching the scriptures to see if these things are so, if instead of praying and saying, lord, please protect me and show me the truth, but instead of that, I say, no, this is hooey, this is wrong and I reject it and I don't pray about it, I don't seek the scriptures, I think my heart gets just a little bit harder each time.

[Bob Wilkin]

We would use a biblical phrase. I'm not willing to look at the evidence.

[Ken Yates]

Well, isn't that what Jesus said in John 5, 39, 48?

[Bob Wilkin]

Exactly, that's what I have in mind. You are not willing, he says, these unbelievers, because of whatever reason, their Jewish traditions, whatever, you're from Galilee.

[Ken Yates]

So those verses, here's what they say. Jesus says, he says, you search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life, but you're not willing to come to me that you may have life. And so the scriptures do talk about Jesus. These are they which satisfy of me, but you're not willing to come to me that you may have life. And so in order to believe in Jesus, it appears there needs to be a willingness to come to him. And by the way, coming to Jesus in John 6:35 is a synonym for believing in him, right?

[Bob Wilkin]

I'm willing to look at this. Can I believe in him for eternal life?

[Ken Yates]

So when we talk to people and they say, no, that's cheap grace, that's easy believism, what do we say? We, we say, why don't you pray about it? Are you willing to pray about it and say, lord, show me if I might be wrong and read the Gospel of John? Are you willing to read the Gospel of John and just ask the Lord, could it really be as simple as just believing in Jesus and I have everlasting life that can never be lost. And if we find people who say, yeah, I'm willing to pray about that, yeah, I'm willing to read the Scriptures, then guess what? We're finding somebody who will come to faith and eventually, because they are open, God's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

[Bob Wilkin]

And so when we see Dave question, does the parable of the sower, particularly in Matthew 13, does it say that the unbeliever only has one opportunity to believe. The answer is no, no, we can't press this. That once the bird takes the well.

[Ken Yates]

Even, even the birds taking away the seed doesn't mean they take it away instantly.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right. And I would also say the sower's going to be back sowing again. He's going to be. I mean, if we're going to press.

[Ken Yates]

The a one time event.

[Bob Wilkin]

I don't know anything about farming, but I'm guessing that even the illustration we can say, well, doesn't a farmer throw out seed more than once? I mean, I don't know. I'm assuming he does.

[Ken Yates]

Well, at least annually. Sure. And if it's different fields, you're throwing out seeds in this field and that field and this season and that season. Or it couldn't have.

[Bob Wilkin]

I mean, I'm gonna show my stupidity here. But couldn't a farmer say, well, I threw those seeds out there, but I think I missed a few spots. I'm gonna press this illustration here. But Dave, thank you for the question. Very simply, no, A believer can hear the good news more than once. And for all of us, remember, keep grace in focus.

[Announcer]

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[Bob Wilkin]

The proceeding has been a listener supported.

[Announcer]

Ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.